TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Clemson travels to Tallahassee for a Saturday night game against Florida State, set to kick off at 7 at Doak Campbell Stadium, a meeting of two Atlantic Coast Conference programs trying to rescue seasons that have gone sideways.
The Tigers are 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play after a 20-16 home loss to Virginia Tech last weekend, which followed lopsided defeats against LSU and Miami. A run to the ACC title game would likely require Clemson to win out and get help with tiebreakers. The offense is the main worry, scoring 21.4 points a game, 16th of 17 teams in the conference, and producing only 17 plays of 20 yards or more. Quarterback Tait Reynolds threw for 153 yards on 20-of-26 passing against the Hokies.
The defense has kept Clemson in games. Junior cornerback Ashton Hampton, who grew up in Tallahassee and played at Florida High, leads the ACC with nine pass breakups and has 25 tackles and an interception. Elliot Washington II, a transfer from Penn State, leads the team with three interceptions.
Florida State is 3-4 and 1-3 in the ACC, coming off an open week. The Seminoles have lost every game they led at some point and will be without top running backs Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr.
History leans toward the visitors. Clemson has won nine of the last 10 games in the series and its last four trips to Tallahassee, and Dabo Swinney is 4-1 against Seminoles coach Mike Norvell.
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